Human beings are highly attuned to the nonverbal signals of others. We communicate our intention and degree of attention to others by our posture, degree of muscle tension, and how we respond verbally and nonverbally.
Intriguing. I know that attending fully is something I must work on because I have so many things running through my mind at all times. I need to remember that my entire body must be attending fully, body language speaks volumes.
Beginning teachers often focus so intensely on day-to-day struggles that they cannot recognize the small successes that occur over time.
I think that the field of Education is guilty of this. Still being in the classroom and also being a mentor/coach to the other 10 ECSE Teachers in my department I find myself reminding them that even the smallest step forward is still progress. Breath, pick one thing to focus on and maintain.
How you interpret challenges, setbacks, and criticism is your choice. You can interpret them in a fixed mindset as signs that your fixed talents or abilities are lacking. Or you can interpret them in a growth mindset as signs that you need to ramp up your strategies and effort, stretch yourself, and expand your abilities. It’s up to you.
THIS. I feel like human beings want changes or lack of changes to be someone else's fault. The world we live in unfortunately tends to lean on the side of negativity when in reality so much of what we surround ourselves with can be within our own control. Having confidence to try new things and GROW as professionals is so important so we can share that growth with our students and colleagues.
Wecouldask thatstudentsneedtobe‘ready’andmotivated,andcometoschoolwellfed,having beensupportedathometodotheirhomework,andareattentiveandcalm.Thiswouldbewonderful,butamajorrole ofschoolingistohelpstudentstoacquirethesehabits;weshouldnotdiscriminateagainststudentswhoseparentsmaynotknowhowtohelpthemtodoso.
This is a struggle that I have dealt with in each district I have worked in. These are factors that are out of our hands as educators but we are expected to "correct" them. It is an added stressor in my classroom when I feel that it is my responsibility to meet the very basic needs of my students. I will do it and in a nurturing way because that seems to be what many of these students are missing but that doesn't mean it is fair. In many years of having student teachers and even brand new teachers in classrooms with populations they are not familiar with, the factors mentioned above are a huge learning curve. Wanting to refer an ELL student for SPED because they are not speaking is not the. first path we go down. I have been beating my head against a brick wall for some time trying to get two of my colleagues, one veteran and one novice, to understand the process that should be followed. Encouraging my mentees to get to know their families and have a better understanding of cultural differences without adding to their already overflowing plate is so important. I need to figure out how to encourage it and maintain the work/life balance for everyone.